Theme 3: Mass Media Flashcards
Propaganda Cults of personality Religion Secret police Dissidents (35 cards)
What were the initial measures created by Lenin?
Decree on the press 1917- power to close papers that were anti-revolution
Revolutionary tribunal of the press 1918- journalists + editors who committed crimes against the people were punished by CHEKA
All-Russia Telegraph agency (ROSTA) 1918- state control of advertising
Glavlit 1922- professional censoring to get rid of anti communist ideas
What type of papers were initially closed down by Lenin after the revolution?
Papers that supported the Tsar/ Provisional gov
What papers where banned by 1918?
Socialist newspapers too :(
Examples of propaganda under Lenin?
‘Drive the whites with the red wedge’
What techniques were used in propaganda?
Photomontage!
New ‘revolutionary’ techniques
ROSTA created cartoon films :)
What is Glavlit?
The censorship office!
What were the 2 daily newspapers?
Pravda- party paper
Isvestiya- govornment paper
How many papers did Pravda have in circulation by 1983?
10.3 million
What was written about in newspapers?
Achievements of socialism of course!
Industrialization figures, successful expeditions to the arctic
What was NOT written about in the newspapers?
Plane crashes + natural disasters
What examples of national disasters were not reported?
July 1972- uncontrollable fire outside Moscow the population had to wait 1 month before the blue haze was explained
~or~
September 1957- nuclear waste tank exploded 200 died + it took 2 years for gov to evacuate the unsafe places
When was speach radio availible in Russia?
1921
How was the Revolution broadcast on radio?
Morse code!
How was radio used to spread the Bolshevik message?
Loudspeakers in public places played the radio eg. factories, clubs, parks
What was the centralized radio ‘agency’?
Commissariat for Posts and Telegraph
When did Moscow have a well developed broadcasting station?
1922
Why was radio such a useful way to spread propaganda?
65% of population was illiterate ;-;
What was censorship like under Stalin?
Tightened~
Works of Stalin’s opponents eg. Trotsky, Bukharin, Lenins works edited to get rid of praise for the ops, BAD WEATHER, natural disasters, suicides were forbidden to report
What did Glavlit control?
Censorship duh… but from 1928 it also had access to economic data
What were Magazines like under Stalin?
lots of sports magazines (Red sport 1924 and then Sovestkii sport in 1946) had honest sports coverage even if political news praising gov was on the front page. Magazines were aimed at groups of workers (They were allowed to have interests!)
How did Stalin use Radio? (Examples!)
WW2 when Germans were 50 miles from Moscow- it kept morale up :)
How did Stalin use TV?
Barely but he used it a bit
eg. Sergei Einstein’s October- 1927
Film to promote patriotism during WW2- Alexander Nevsky
How did Stalin use newspapers?
Promoting the 5YPs + collectivization :)
How were magazines used under Krhushschev?
He encouraged to use reader letters- only on non political letters were they allowed their own opinions.
Rabotnitsa women’s newspapers exposed many social problems eg. alcoholism
